A WINDOW INTO THE DAILY LIFE AND THOUGHTS OF SLIS STUDENTS

Boston, you're my home

I've lived in Boston my whole life, and sometimes I take the city's cultural attractions and goings-on for granted. (That could be because I have kids, and their idea of culture is the Grossology exhibit at the Science Museum.) Meeting my classmates, many of whom have moved to Boston just for this program, reminds me to slow down to appreciate all the area has to offer, even as I wonder when I will finish my reading and class assignments! So, last week I went to a lecture with a friend, and today I visited Drumlin Farm with my brother and one of my daughters. Super fun, and I still had time to finish the TOR!

It's important to balance school and fun. So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorite things to do in the greater Boston area. Whether you're visiting Simmons, have just moved here for SLIS, or, like me, have lived here for many years, you're bound to enjoy at least one of these adventures.

The Greenway: The Big Dig, a twenty-year-long construction project to put the Central Artery highway underground, was completed in 2002. It was, and continues to be, quite controversial here in Boston -- but it resulted in the fabulous Rose F. Kennedy Greenway, a strip of parks where the elevated road once stood. Spend a happy afternoon walking through the parks, riding the carousel, and watching kids play in the Rings Fountain, near the Aquarium. (Fountains are on late May through Columbus Day.)

HONK! : Not to be missed, if you like music, social activism and festivals! The highlight of this band-filled, celebratory weekend is the Sunday parade from Davis Square to Harvard Square. We'll be watching from the corner of Orchard and Beech Streets in Cambridge and would love to see SLIS folk there. (October 10-12, Davis Square, Somerville.)

Mapparium: Housed in the Mary Baker Eddy Library at the Christian Science Center in Boston , the Mapparium is a gorgeous glass globe circa 1935. Visitors walk inside the globe for a unique perspective. There's really nothing like it. Just outside the Mapparium is the Hall of Ideas, which I can't even really explain -- OK, I'll try: letters and words come out of a fountain and travel to the walls to form quotes. It's easy to spend a very long amount of time in this impressive room.

Family Trees at the Concord Museum: Each holiday season, this Concord, MA museum exhibits dozens of trees with decorations inspired by children's books. The titles range from familiar to obscure, and characters visit on special days. The list of books is available online, and I usually check a few out from the library so my kids recognize them when we visit. While you're in Concord, have a snack at the Main Street Cafe -- yum.